A couple months ago there was snow and ice everywhere, and despite that I was eating burgers and slaw and telling you about WSS. That is, Wrong Season Syndrome.

I hardly feel like that much time has past, but now I look outside to trees full of vibrant green leaves, tulips blooming everywhere and even some rhododendrons starting to bud. It may be just a tease but we’ve even had a few summer-like stretches of sunny 80 degree weather here in Massachusetts. Foods suited to spring and summer have been tickling my tastebuds – anything with fresh asparagus, artichokes, even corn and melon sound great right now. But even still, my cravings for warm, hearty comfort foods can’t be denied.

Recently, I found a chili that satisfies all seasons. This chili comes from Mary at One Perfect Bite, a recently discovered blog that’s quickly climbed to the top of my reading list. Like any traditional chili, it’s warm and comforting, with a chunky texture to make you savor every bite. That’s what I was craving during a particularly summery day this spring. But what makes this chili more appropriate for warm weather – and able to satisfy your summer cravings in the winter – are it’s vibrant colors and sweet, succulent shellfish. That’s right, this chili is a pescetarian’s dream. Heartier and packed with more protein than a vegetarian chili, but not quite so heavy as a meat-based version, this chili is wonderfully balanced.

Now I don’t mean to imply that shellfish are particularly a warm weather food, since I eat them all year round. Then again the same goes for pumpkin and tomatoes, so my sense of seasonal might be skewed. Thank you, big bad industry.) But when paired with tangy limes and hot peppers, it reminds me of ceviche, which I do think is best suited to summer. The other thing I haven’t mentioned about this chili is that it’s actually a bit thinner than most, though not in a soup-like way. I actually think it’s perfect like this.

One final note: I thought about scaling down the recipe to make just two servings, because I wasn’t sure how it do as leftovers. Shellfish have a tendency to get gummy when overcooked, and I feared that reheating might cause that. But I decided to go ahead and make four servings anyway, and I’m so glad I did. This was one of those dishes so delicious that we didn’t mind at all eating it for two nights in a row, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it did reheating. If you plan to do the same, just make sure you heat it gently and gradually.

In a medium bowl, toss together the seafood, limes, 1/2 teaspoon each cumin and chili powder, the minced hot pepper, half of each the cilantro and garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Let sit at room temperature.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot. Cook the onion, bell pepper, and remaining garlic until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add the remaining cumin and chili powder, cloves, cinnamon, chipotle pepper, salt and pepper, and cook 1-2 minutes more. Finally, add the fish stock, diced tomatoes with green chilies, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Add the shellfish to the chili (the peppers and seasonings will stick to it, but leave the limes behind), cover, and cook for about 10 minutes longer, or until the fish is fully cooked. Serve with remaining chopped cilantro.

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56 Responses to “Chili los Mariscos”

This really does sound fantastic. I'm really into super summary things these days but I think that will go away (once the new-ness of the nicer weather passes). Can't wait to try this – sounds so unique and delicious.

Wow this looks really delicious Cara. I think the seafood really does add a summery touch to the chili. I just did a post about how I love spicy things in hot weather. I threw some fresh cod and shrimp on the grill last night and made a big burrito with some mango and leftover grilled veggies. Can't seem to get enough seafood!

Ha, I have WSS too. One of my favorite meals is tomato soup and grilled cheese, and I won't let any 100-degree weather get in my way of enjoying it year round.This chili looks interesting and healthy and tasty. I think I'll try making it with chunks of tilapia in place of the scallops. There are no scallops (that I want to eat) available in my little desert town.

This sounds delicious!! I'd have to wait for a slightly cooler day though haha! I do crave soup in the summer, but if I'm already hot I can't eat hot foods…but I'm definitely going to save this recipe for when the time is right! I LOVE seafood

this is the kind of dish that one would really regretting halving, and that's for sure! i'm a mega-fan of using cinnamon and cloves in savory dishes, and the other things spicing this up are outstanding too. bravo, cara!

Great blog! Out of curiosity, how do you calculate the nutritional info for each recipe? I am trying to track what I eat but haven't found any good tools (online/elsewhere) where I can just enter the ingredients and find out the total, so I end up adding them up individually and it's super time-consuming and adds a lot of guess-work. Any info would be appreciated! Thanks!

Hi webstemo, thanks for stopping by! I use sparkpeople.com to track my intake, and their sister site sparkrecipes.com to calculate nutritional information for my recipes. It allows you to enter all of the ingredients and the number of servings to calculate the nutritional information. I really like it!

Hi webstemo, thanks for stopping by! I use sparkpeople.com to track my intake, and their sister site sparkrecipes.com to calculate nutritional information for my recipes. It allows you to enter all of the ingredients and the number of servings to calculate the nutritional information. I really like it!

Great blog! Out of curiosity, how do you calculate the nutritional info for each recipe? I am trying to track what I eat but haven't found any good tools (online/elsewhere) where I can just enter the ingredients and find out the total, so I end up adding them up individually and it's super time-consuming and adds a lot of guess-work. Any info would be appreciated! Thanks!

this is the kind of dish that one would really regretting halving, and that's for sure! i'm a mega-fan of using cinnamon and cloves in savory dishes, and the other things spicing this up are outstanding too. bravo, cara!

This sounds delicious!! I'd have to wait for a slightly cooler day though haha! I do crave soup in the summer, but if I'm already hot I can't eat hot foods…but I'm definitely going to save this recipe for when the time is right! I LOVE seafood

Wow this looks really delicious Cara. I think the seafood really does add a summery touch to the chili. I just did a post about how I love spicy things in hot weather. I threw some fresh cod and shrimp on the grill last night and made a big burrito with some mango and leftover grilled veggies. Can't seem to get enough seafood!

Ha, I have WSS too. One of my favorite meals is tomato soup and grilled cheese, and I won't let any 100-degree weather get in my way of enjoying it year round.This chili looks interesting and healthy and tasty. I think I'll try making it with chunks of tilapia in place of the scallops. There are no scallops (that I want to eat) available in my little desert town.

This really does sound fantastic. I'm really into super summary things these days but I think that will go away (once the new-ness of the nicer weather passes). Can't wait to try this – sounds so unique and delicious.

Great blog! Out of curiosity, how do you calculate the nutritional info for each recipe? I am trying to track what I eat but haven't found any good tools (online/elsewhere) where I can just enter the ingredients and find out the total, so I end up adding them up individually and it's super time-consuming and adds a lot of guess-work. Any info would be appreciated! Thanks!

This sounds delicious!! I'd have to wait for a slightly cooler day though haha! I do crave soup in the summer, but if I'm already hot I can't eat hot foods…but I'm definitely going to save this recipe for when the time is right! I LOVE seafood

Ha, I have WSS too. One of my favorite meals is tomato soup and grilled cheese, and I won't let any 100-degree weather get in my way of enjoying it year round.This chili looks interesting and healthy and tasty. I think I'll try making it with chunks of tilapia in place of the scallops. There are no scallops (that I want to eat) available in my little desert town.

Great blog! Out of curiosity, how do you calculate the nutritional info for each recipe? I am trying to track what I eat but haven't found any good tools (online/elsewhere) where I can just enter the ingredients and find out the total, so I end up adding them up individually and it's super time-consuming and adds a lot of guess-work. Any info would be appreciated! Thanks!